Was Wayne County's ex-technology manager in on bribes or clueless? Jury to decide

Feb. 14, 2013

Zayd Allebban

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

A jury of seven men and five women now hold the fate of a former Wayne County technology manager accused of creating bogus receipts to thwart a federal investigation of county government.

Zayd Allebban, 34, of Dearborn faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted after a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy.

Jurors listened to closing arguments Thursday before hearing instructions and preparing to deliberate.

Allebban is the first defendant in the Wayne County corruption investigation to stand trial, though much of the testimony in his case centered on his former boss, Tahir Kazmi. Kazmi already pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from a contractor, Philip Shisha.

Allebban is charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheldon Light painted Allebban as a willing participant in an effort to create receipts showing that Kazmi repaid Shisha. Allebban was working to protect his friend by hiding the payments, Light charged.

"If the FBI learned that simple truth, they would do more investigation, and that would be big trouble for Mr. Kazmi," Light said.

Allebban's lawyer, Haytham Faraj, insisted that Allebban believed the payments from Shisha to Kazmi were loans because both men, whom he considered friends, had characterized them that way.

"Do we not believe our friends?" Faraj said. "Naiveté is not a criminal act in our country, at least not yet."

Faraj accused Shisha of perjury and reminded jurors that he hasn't been charged with giving the bribes that Kazmi has admitted taking. Faraj said repeatedly that Shisha was working for "his handlers" -- the government agents working the case. The FBI wired Shisha before meetings with Allebban.

"They paid him with his liberty," Faraj said.

Kazmi is scheduled to be sentenced next week. Sentencing guidelines call for him to serve 57 to 71 months in prison.